Childhood Health

For economically disadvantaged families worldwide, the basic building blocks of childhood health can seem unobtainable. The ramifications for children are profound, snowballing from struggles to stay in school to a higher risk of lifetime poverty to dramatically diminished life expectancies. Fighting preventable childhood illness is key to our mission. We focus on timely interventions that can mitigate a number of common childhood afflictions including obesity in the U.S., and malnutrition, poor sanitation and other maladies in Africa and India.

Childhood Health in the US

In the United States, fully one-third of children are overweight or obese, and early onset of Type 2 diabetes is epidemic. We’re working to reverse this trend with childhood obesity prevention and wellness programs that promote healthy eating behaviors, and better access to healthy foods and safe environments for exercise. Our other U.S. health initiatives focus on:

Childhood Health in India

Many of India‘s more than 250 million school-age children live in urban slums that lack access to clean water, sanitation or basic health supports. Widespread nutritional deficits among these children lead to stunted growth, impaired learning and high rates of absenteeism from school.

Childhood Health in South Africa

Our work in Africa focuses on South African communities where there’s a widespread need to deliver basic services to orphaned and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS. We have also funded a variety of pan-Africa initiatives that provide basic health services including vaccines, and access to clean water, sanitation and better nutrition to specific target communities.